It was another great night for the landscape construction design and construction industry on January 11, for the Landscape Ontario Awards of Excellence. Our whole team was there, dressed in their best as they took turns going up to the podium to receive the FOUR awards we took home. Each of our three entries was a winner in it’s category;
- Landscape Construction; $50,000 – $100,000
- Landscape Construction; $100,000 – $250,000
- Landscape Construction; $250,000 – $500,000
However, the big surprise occurred when our name was called for our fourth award of the night; D.A. Gracey & Associates was the name called for the Casey van Maris Memorial Award for execution of unique and innovative landscape design. We received this for our entry in the Landscape Construction; $50,000 – $100,000 category. It is a tiny gem of a backyard with every square inch of space made beautiful and useful. It is divided into three outdoor rooms; including a deck with seating and space for grilling, a beautiful lounge area with a water table feature that provides the soothing sound of water, and a sport court in the rear for the teenager in the family. Our awards go on our ‘Wall of Fame’ in the office, and the Casey van Maris bronze trophy sits proudly beside the Dunnington Grub Award trophy we received in 2008. As always, it is a collaborative effort to win any of these awards. Only by having great clients, inspired design, excellent construction and thorough maintenance can a job be worthy of these awards. Now it’s back to our winter reality. While some of our crew are heading off to various hot, sandy beaches for a break, others are excavating and building concrete and stone walls on our landscape construction project in Aurora. This is an effort to ensure a timely start to our 2011 landscape construction season and avoid some of the mud we know will be a problem on that site in the early spring. Preparation is also under way for our Canada Blooms feature garden, as well as landscape consultations and landscape designs for several upcoming projects in 2011 and 2012. D.A. Gracey & Associates are just like the dormant trees at this time of year – on the surface there is little visible signs of activity and growth; but lots of action is taking place under the surface; ready to burst forth in the springtime as soon as there is a hint of warmth in the air! Adam Gracey, President D.A Gracey & Associates Landscape Design Landscape Construction Landscape Architecture